This study explores the impact post-earthquake images from Christchurch, New Zealand inserted into a task requiring sustained attention or vigilance have on performance, selfreports of task-focus, and cerebra activity using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). The images represent the current state of Christchurch; a city struggling to recover from devastating earthquakes that peaked in February, 2011, killing 185 people, injuring hundreds more and causing widespread and massive damage to infrastructure, land and building in the region. Crowdsourcing was used to gather a series of positive and negative photos from greater Christchurch to be employed in the subsequent experiment. Seventy-one Christchurch resident participants (51 women, 20 men) then took part in a vigilance task with the sourced images embedded to assess possible cognitive disruptions. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: embedded positive pictures, embedded negative pictures, or embedded scrambled image controls. Task performance was assessed with signal detection theory metrics of sensitivity A’ and β’’. Individuals viewing the positive images, relating to progress, rebuild, or aesthetic aspects within the city, were overall more conservative or less willing to respond than those in the other conditions. In addition, positive condition individuals reported lower task focus, when compared to those in the control condition. However, indicators of cerebral activity (fNIRS) did not differ significantly between the experimental groups. These results combined, suggest that mind wandering events may be being generated when exposed to positive post-earthquake images. This finding fits with recent research which indicates that mind-wandering or day dreaming tends to be positive and future oriented. While positive recovery images may initiate internal thoughts, this could actually prove problematic in contexts in which external attention is required. While the actual environment, of course, needs to recover, support agencies may want to be careful with employing positive recovery imagery in contexts where people actually should be paying attention to something else, like operating a vehicle or machinery.

This dissertation is the first study devoted solely to the history of an orchestral tradition in Christchurch. Within a timeframe stretching from the beginning of the local settlement to the establishment of the first “national” orchestra in 1939, it provides detailed portrayals of all facets of amateur and professional orchestral activity. This includes the histories of all orchestral bodies, their membership, a chronology of concerts, repertoire, programme structure and critical reception. This dissertation explains the advance of orchestral tradition that is at times tentative and at times bold, until it is securely entrenched as a mainstream musical activity in Christchurch. A preliminary narration, which begins in 1857, ends in 1906 with the International Exhibition. This is then discussed as a landmark event for orchestral music in Christchurch. A series of case studies for the period of 1908 to 1939, covers each of the five major orchestral groups that flourished in this period. The case studies also include the footprints of development, the “incidental” music performed by the cinema orchestras, and the “studio only” performances of many broadcasting groups. The role played by minor orchestral groups as an “alternative” music culture is included, along with the impact of orchestras associated with visiting opera companies. The final section is a detailed analysis of the repertoire and programme construction, and a discussion of the people who played an influential role in the development of an orchestral tradition. Numerous tables and illustrations are provided. A number of appendices are also attached: a chronology of orchestral concerts in Christchurch; some significant orchestra personnel lists; an extensive set of source readings discussing the formation of a permanent orchestra; a chronology of orchestral activity for a selection of Christchurch musicians; a timeline of visiting opera companies, and a selection of concert programmes.

The Christchurch Engine Centre (CHCEC) provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for the IAE V2500 commercial jet engine. CHCEC is being driven to reduce engine shop visit (ESV) prices to satisfy customer demand and offer competitive prices. The reduction in ESV price is reducing profit margins and internal cost reduction is not a sustainable solution. Historical repair ESV data was reviewed and analyzed to identify major cost drivers and opportunities for overall shop visit cost reduction. It was found that CHCEC can reduce ESV prices through introducing recommended third party repairs which increases the savings to the customer and should allow CHCEC to secure more engines from customers.

Currently McConnell Dowell Constructors Ltd. is involved in the horizontal rebuild of Christchurch as part of the SCIRT alliance. Part of installing new infrastructure is that work is commenced around existing and live services. During installation, live services are occasionally struck which have the potential to cause injury and/or death along with subsequent economic costs of having to repair the damaged services. David Hopper and Shane Soulsby have investigated some of the root causes for service strikes to occur with a distinct focus on process, communication, culture and costs. From that, key findings have been established along with recommendations and an implementation plan in an effort to lower the number of service strikes on projects.

This study explored the effects of the Canterbury earthquakes of 2010 and 2011 on different areas of quality of life (QOL) for children and adolescents with disabilities. Using a survey developed from the Quality of Life Instrument for People with Developmental Disabilities – Short Version (QOL-PDD-SV) (Brown, Raphael & Renwick, 1997) and The World Health Organisation Quality of Life - (WHOQOL)-BREF, parents or caregivers were asked to identify what level of importance and satisfaction their child or adolescent placed on areas of QOL including physical health, psychological health - stress levels and coping ability, attachment to their neighbourhood, friends, family, leisure activities, community access and schooling. They were also asked to determine what level of impact the earthquakes had had on each area of their child or adolescent’s life and overall quality of life in the aftermath of the earthquakes. A total of 31 parents of 22 males and 9 females between the ages of 2.5 years to 19 years of age (mean age: 12.6 years) responded. The results were collated and analysis was run to measure for the effect of age, gender and geographical location. The results found that the earthquakes affected nearly every area of QOL for the children and adolescents. The biggest impact on the children’s psychological health and their ability to cope It was observed that younger children (<13) were more likely to record improved or lessened effects from the earthquakes in psychological health areas. However, the areas of social belonging and friendships were the least affected by the earthquakes. Female children were more likely to indicate higher scores for social belonging after the earthquakes. Many parents observed that their children developed improved coping skills over the earthquake period. The findings in this study offer a better understanding of how earthquakes can affect the quality of life children and adolescents with disabilities.

As the future of the world’s oil reserves becomes progressively more uncertain, it is becoming increasingly important that steps are taken to ensure that there are viable, attractive alternatives to travel by private motor vehicle. As with many of New Zealand’s major urban centres, Christchurch is still exceptionally reliant on private motor vehicles; although a significant proportion of the population indicate that they would like to cycle more, cycling is still an underutilised mode of transport. Following a series of fatal earthquakes that struck the city in 2010 and 2011, there has been the need to significantly redevelop much of the city’s horizontal infrastructure – subsequently providing the perfect platform for significant changes to be made to the road network. Many of the key planning frameworks governing the rebuild process have identified the need to improve Christchurch’s cycling facilities in order to boost cycling numbers and cyclist safety. The importance of considering future growth and travel patterns when planning for transport infrastructure has been highlighted extensively throughout literature. Accordingly, this study sought to identify areas where future cycle infrastructure development would be advantageous based on a number of population and employment projections, and likely future travel patterns throughout the city. Through the use of extensive GIS analysis, future population growth, employment and travel patterns for Christchurch city were examined in order to attain an understanding of where the current proposed major cycleways network could be improved, or extended. A range of data and network analysis were used to derive likely travel patterns throughout Christchurch in 2041. Trips were derived twice, once with a focus on simply finding the shortest route between each origin and destination, and then again with a focus on cyclist safety and areas where cyclists were unlikely to travel. It was found that although the proposed major cycleways network represents a significant step towards improving the cycling environment in Christchurch, there are areas of the city that will not be well serviced by the current proposed network in 2041. These include a number of key residential growth areas such as Halswell, Belfast and Prestons, along with a number of noteworthy key travel zones, particularly in areas close to the central city and key employment areas. Using network analysis, areas where improvements or extensions to the proposed network would be most beneficial were identified, and a number of potential extensions in a variety of areas throughout the city were added to the network of cycle ways. Although it has been found that filling small gaps in the network can have considerable positive outcomes, results from the prioritisation analysis suggested that initially in Christchurch demand is likely to be for more substantial extensions to the proposed major cycleways network.

Children are often overlooked in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and children’s use of coping strategies plays an important part in their post-disaster adaptation (Vernberg, La Greca, Silverman, & Prinstein, 1996). The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the coping strategies of children with adequate self-regulation skills and minimal behaviour problems, living in Christchurch following the major 2010 and 2011 earthquakes. This aim was achieved through the use of semi-structured interviews with five seven-year-old children, their parents, and their teachers. These interviews were analysed using Directed Content Analysis and results showed that children most often reported using active and adaptive coping strategies, followed by avoidant strategies. Results in the current literature regarding children’s coping suggest that children exposed to natural disasters are able to utilise strategies that involve some personal control over their environment and emotions, through the use of active and adaptive coping strategies. Findings from this study contribute to the current understanding of children’s use of coping strategies when faced with commonly occurring childhood upsets. Further research is required regarding the outcomes associated with the use of effective coping strategies following traumatic events.

The 2010 and 2011 earthquakes in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand caused widespread damage and the deaths of 185 people. Suburbs on the eastern side of Christchurch and in the satellite town of Kaiapoi, 20 kilometres north of Christchurch, were badly damaged by liquefaction. The Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA), a government organisation set up in the wake of the earthquakes, began to systematically zone all residential land in 2011. Based on the possibility for land remediation, 7860 houses in Christchurch and Kaiapoi were zoned red. Those who were in this zone were compensated and had to buy or build elsewhere. The other zone examined within this research – that of TC3 – lies within the green zone. Residents, in this zone, were able to stay in their houses but land was moderately damaged and required site-specific geotechnical investigations. This research sought to understand how residents’ senses of home were impacted by a disaster and the response efforts. Focusing on the TC3 and red zone of the eastern suburbs and the satellite town of Kaiapoi, this study interviewed 29 residents within these zones. The concept of home was explored with the respondents at three scales: home as a household; home as a community; and home as a city. There was a large amount of resistance to the zoning process and the handling of claims by insurance companies and the Earthquake Commission (EQC) after the earthquakes. Lack of transparency and communication, as well as extremely slow timelines were all documented as failings of these agencies. This research seeks to understand how participant’s sense of home changed on an individual level and how it was impacted by outside agencies. Homemaking techniques were also focused on showing that a changed sense of home will impact on how a person interacts with a space.

The botanic garden is a space of leisure, scientific endeavour, passive recreation, education and conservation. These roles are contradictory, yet coexist 'happily' in a single space. The central aim of this thesis is to investigate the diversity of spaces and meanings in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens from the perspectives of both users and producers of this space. The fieldwork component involves interviews with staff members of the Botanical Services Team at the Gardens, and selected people at the Christchurch City Council offices who were connected with the Gardens in various ways. Additionally, I use the data gathered during my participation in tours of the Gardens. This thesis is both an historical and contemporary analysis of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. In a general history of the Western botanic garden, I show how colonialism, the Garden City movement and science shaped how botanic gardens functioned in society. This discussion contextualises the history of Christchurch's Botanic Gardens, which I compiled using archival material based on site, and the social practices that take place in this space. Using Foucault's concept of the heterotopia, I analyse the multiple and seemingly conflicting sites that exist inside the boundaries of the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I explain how these sites are able to coexist inside what Foucault terms a 'happy, universalizing' heterotopic space. I conclude that conflicts between science and leisure, and colonial spaces are not experienced inside the Gardens by visitors. In reality, for visitors to the Gardens, the paradoxical nature of the space and the resulting tension deriving from its multi-faceted role in society continue to exist in harmony. However, conflict between science and leisure is claimed by those who produce the Gardens. This is because the producers are conscious of the competing roles of the Gardens yet are involved in creating a space that caters for a diverse group of visitors.

Up until the 1980s, the police often reluctantly intervened in domestic disputes. However, from the mid 1980s onwards, the introduction of pro-arrest family violence policies throughout the U.S., the U.K., and New Zealand, signalled a significant shift in police practices. It was hoped that the adoption of these policies would help improve the police response to family violence, and it was anticipated that police behaviour would consequently change. Unfortunately, the implementation of these policies has been fraught with difficulties, and they have often not translated easily into practice, or resulted in the intended changes. The current study, which was conducted in Christchurch in 2004, sought to understand how a pro-arrest policy was implemented at the local level. Drawing on a symbolic interactionist approach, and utilising Lipksy's (1980) street-level bureaucracy theory, this research focuses on a number of issues, including the application of the pro-arrest policy at the street-level, and its associated problems, and the legitimate/illegitimate exercise of discretion. This study has found evidence of significant practical problems with the implementation of the pro-arrest policy, which are similar to those that have been reported overseas.